Simply The Best: In its Final Performance, Iconic Two-Seater Sets the Stage for a Beautiful Encore

Editor's note: we had the rare opportunity to sample two flavors of the 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata -- a softtop Grand Touring and the new hardtop Special Edition -- at about the same time. Enjoy the Miata double shot.

2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata Special EditionBy: Scott Evans

Full disclosure: My wife daily drives a 1993 Miata and loves it. I love it too. Since it was introduced, the Miata has been the best driver's car for the money, bar none. But let's start at the beginning.

Way back in July 1989, Motor Trend was so impressed with the new MX-5 Miata that we not only featured it on our cover, but declared it "the best sports car buy in America." Back then, the little roadster carried a 1.6-liter engine with all of 115 hp and 100 lb-ft of torque connected to a five-speed manual we said "defies description." It was enough to launch the little car to 60 mph in 8.9 seconds and through the quarter mile in 16.8 seconds at 81.9 mph. More important, the 2182-pound car pulled an eye-popping 0.92 g on our skidpad, besting anything within 100 percent of its asking price.

Over the years, the Miata grew in size and performance. Mazda remained true to its lightweight performance mantra by keeping the car smaller and lighter than anything in its class, despite the inflating dimensions. Even today, you won't find a car in its class that can touch its performance. Toyota tried and failed with the MR2 Spyder. Pontiac (and Saturn) couldn't do it with the Solstice/Sky. The car on these pages is twice the price of the original Miata (only $5300 more when you account for inflation), half again more powerful, 400 pounds heavier, more than 1.5 inches larger in every dimension, more than 2 seconds faster to 60 mph, and still among the best driver's cars on the planet.

This specific car is the 2012 MX-5 Miata Special Edition, one of just 450 to be sold in the U.S. The special parts are the ones dressed in black -- wheels, roof, nose, and interior trim pieces. Fun fact: This is the first time a Miata has been offered from the factory with anything other than a body-color hard top. Also special is the Velocity Red Mica paint, which along with Crystal White Pearl are the only color options. All Special Editions start with a top-shelf Power Retractable Hard Top Touring model with standard Premium Package (keyless entry and such) and Suspension Package, which adds Bilstein shocks and a limited-slip differential.

Unchanged for the Special Edition are the specs. This car still returns 167 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine good for a 0-60-mph sprint in 6.5 seconds and a standing quarter-mile run in 15 seconds flat at 90.2 mph. Accelerative performance improves slightly on 85-pound-lighter, non-Special Edition softtop model, which will hit 60 mph in 6.3 seconds and run the quarter in 14.8 seconds at 92.4 mph. Also improved is lateral acceleration, where the soft top pulls 0.92 g to the Special Edition's 0.91 g. Stopping the Special Edition from 60 mph takes 2 feet longer for a total of 110.

Three things make the Miata truly special. First is how well it channels the original more than two decades on. It's barely larger than the original and not that much heavier, despite modern amenities like heated seats and four times as many airbags. It's still got a one-hand-operated roof (solid or cloth), a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, an expensive fully independent suspension; and it still features near-perfect weight balance.

Which leads me to my second point: how well it drives. A first-gen Miata could be flung at any corner with any amount of anger and make a hero of the driver. The Special Edition is no different. Pick your line, turn the wheel, and your right foot does the rest. The body leans more than you expect, making a concerted but futile effort to lift the inside rear tire, but nothing bad happens. The rear end rotates slightly, just enough to point you at the exit, but it never tries to get away from you. The savvy driver never needs to adjust the steering wheel. There are fewer cars available today that can be steered with the throttle, and the Miata is still one of them. Match that grip and chassis control with one of the best manual transmissions in the business, a free-revving engine, a limited-slip differential, and open-air motoring, and you have the best smile-per-dollar car on the road today.

The last point is what this car represents: that it's the last of its generation. In all likelihood, the Special Edition will be the last of NC-generation Miatas. We've reported extensively on the next-gen car, and it may well have broken cover by the time you read this.

Expected to debut sometime in 2012, the next Miata will undo all that supposed bloat of the past 22 years and get back to basics. It's not a long trip, mind you. Mazda wants its new car to weigh in under 2200 pound like the original and reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent. To do this, the car's exterior dimensions will shrink while maintaining the current interior dimensions, and it will employ all the latest Skyactiv technology Mazda can muster. We hear a new 2.0-liter motor will produce upwards of 145 horses and all the car's major mechanical components will reside between the axles to achieve an ideal 50/50 weight balance.

The MX-5 Miata "must always be a lightweight sports car. The car got bigger and heavier over the last decade, but it's now time to reverse the process and get back to basics, and build a coupe that handles like no other," chief engineer Takao Kijima told Motor Trend in October 2010 when development of the new car was well underway. With fresh competition from the low-price and low-weight Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S on the horizon, the next Miata will have to be good. If this car is any indication, Mazda is more than up to the challenge.

No other car in recent history has a reputation for instantly putting a smile on your face like the Mazda MX-5 Miata, certainly not for less than $25,000. Unfortunately, sales of the smile-making roadster have cratered lately. Perhaps that’s why everyone is so depressed these days?

The 2012 model year marks the seventh year for the third-generation Miata, and the third since its 2010 model-year face-lift. Aside from the just-shown-in-Chicago Special Edition, the 2012 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring we just tested enters this year without any changes, which isn’t surprising given that the fourth-generation Miata is at least a year away. That means it still has the same 2.0-liter naturally aspirated I-4 under the hood, pumping out the same 167 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque, and is mated to the same short-throw six-speed manual. Yes, an automatic is offered, but if you’re getting an automatic Miata for no justifiable reason, you’re doing it wrong, in part because you lose 9 horsepower in the process. Now then, let’s get in the car.

It doesn’t take long for the 2012 MX-5 Grand Touring to put a smile on your face. The simple one-hand operation of the top could do the trick, especially if you’ve had any experience with one of the GM Kappa (Solstice/Sky) twins. If that isn't enough, taking a turn -- even a normal left at an intersection -- surely will. What the Miata lacks in power it makes up in light weight and road feel, and does so without the needless pain and suffering of the Lotus Elise. On canyon or mountain roads, the Miata is a complete hoot. Take the corners at a sane speed and you’ll never have to use the brakes – shifts between third and fourth gear and some driving skill are all you’ll need. Sure, the ride isn’t that comfortable, and amenities are lacking. But if you really wanted luxury, you wouldn’t have bought a Miata. You wanted something relatively affordable that was designed to put a smile on your face no matter where you were going or why you were going there.

Should you need to use the brakes, you’ll have no trouble stopping. The svelte Miata needs just 108 feet to come to a complete halt from 60 mph – that’s on par with the Porsche Cayman R, and less than the distance needed by the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. Straight-line acceleration isn’t the MX-5’s forte, with 60 mph coming in 6.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at a speed of just 92.4 mph. Handling is a different story. The Miata posted a solid 0.92 g (avg) on the skidpad and completed our figure-eight test in a respectable-for-its-power-level 26.4 seconds at 0.68 g (avg). This combination of decent performance, balance, and fun is why the Miata placed third in our 2009 Best Driver’s Car competition.

Speaking of affordability, this fully loaded MX-5 Grand Touring rubbed right up against the $30,000 barrier. Included in that sum are two things that can be considered wholly unnecessary in a Miata: leather seats and Bose audio. The former is an out-of-place luxury, the latter a straight-up waste of money – there is so much wind and tire noise that music is barely audible background noise no matter how good the system is. Part of the price also came from the Premium Package, which adds xenon headlights, satellite radio, Bluetooth, an alarm, and keyless entry. It costs $1390, and although the xenon headlights and keyless entry are nice, the other two components are of limited use for the same noise-related reasons as the Bose audio. The driver’s choice of this lineup is the MX-5 Touring with the optional suspension package, which adds a limited-slip differential and a sport-tuned suspension with Bilstein shocks and lists at just over $27,000. Skip the sub-$25k base model -- it only comes with a five-speed manual and can’t be had with the LSD.

The verdict: Despite its age, the Miata remains one of the most fun cars under $30,000 that money can buy -- and with the recent demise of the Honda S2000, it’s once again the only roadster in its class left standing. Hopefully the arrival of the fourth-generation Miata in late 2013 reboots sales, because we’d hate to see the roadster field dwindle further.